How worthy is it?

This week I am travelling home, back to Saint Petersburg – a city in the North-West of Russia, located on the coast of the Baltic Sea, close to the border with Finland.

I grew up in this apartment complex in the outskirts of the most beautiful city in Russia. This is what the larger part of Saint Petersburg looks like – a concrete jungle framed by blue construction fences, a place where people come it after a long day of work to buy groceries, cook dinner, watch TV on a couch, and fall asleep to wake up the next morning and repeat the routine all over again.

In contrast, the historical centre of Saint Petersburg – the Venice of the North, the pearl of the European architecture – is what usually stands for the whole city, a postcard view sold to tourists and those who "made it in life".

Honestly speaking, I think I missed my part of the city more than the postcard view, even though I greatly admire its beauty and grandeur. For me, these two different faces of the city make up its unique character and are equally worthy.